Thursday, 30 August 2012

It's
beginning to look and feel rather autumnal in the wood. Yellowed birch and
poplar leaves are already fluttering down and the Hawthorn (Crataegus
monogyna) berries are quite colourful.

Dragonflies hunting for prey perform aerial acrobatics around the
clearings, also darting and swooping along the rides. When they perch to rest on
the tips of branches, there's a chance to marvel at their beautifully patterned
bodies and huge compound eyes. I managed to photograph a male Common Darter
(Sympetrum striolatum) which can be identified by its orange-red abdomen and the
two large yellow patches divided by a darker reddish-brown panel on the side
of its thorax.

Also a male Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta).

Common spangle galls housing the asexual generation of the gall wasp
Neuroterus quercusbaccarum are scattered liberally on the undersides of oak
leaves. They will fall down into the leaf litter where they will spend the
winter months, then in spring adult gall wasps emerge to lay eggs in the oak
buds. These develop into green currant galls from which adults emerge in the
summer, mate, the females laying eggs on the underside of leaves to start the
whole cycle again.

There are nowhere near as many insects about now as there were a few
weeks ago and this pale, delicate looking Oak Bush-cricket (Meconema
thalassinum) was so well camouflaged on a leaf I almost missed noticing
it!

Hunting for small insects amongst the foliage was a Spiked Shieldbug
(Picromerus bidens) and it is possible to see the adults until November. The
species usually overwinters as eggs.

This very hairy little Pale Tussock moth (Calliteara pudibunda) caterpillar
was crawling across a chestnut leaf. The larva will grow slowly until October,
then pupate to emerge as an adult next May.

Finally on perhaps a rather unsavoury but interesting note is a photo of a
strikingly coloured Burying beetle - (Nicrophorus vespilloides) with mites
attached to it. It appears that these may not actually be harming the beetle but
merely hitching a lift. The beetle needs to lay its eggs in the corpse of a
creature that it buries. The mites need to feed on the eggs and larvae of flies
that might have found the prize first so the beetle provides transport and the
mites consume the competition for the food source. Win, win situation!

Monday, 20 August 2012

I knew we were going to have a good day when as I set up the
direction signs in the car parking area I saw a Peacock, a Silver-washed
Fritillary and a Small Tortoiseshell before the event had even begun.

(Photo by Doug Neve, 18/08/2012)

Indeed the car parking area was a really good butterfly
spot.

(Photo by Heather Martin, 18/08/2012)

So Stuart Cooper led sixteen of us on a very enjoyable and
informative butterfly walk around Beckley Wood.

(Photo by Heather Martin, 18/08/2012)

We also saw some Common Blue butterflies, quite a treat in Rother this year.

(Photo by Doug Neve, 18/08/2012)

The Brimstones are out and about too.

(Photo by Heather Martin, 18/08/2012)

And finally a Painted Lady, even less frequent than the Common Blue this year.

(Photo by Heather Martin, 18/08/2012)

So a big thank you to Stuart Cooper for leading the walk and the Forestry Commission for permission to park and access Beckley Wood.

The walk is intended to be a casual, guided wander around Beckley Woods looking for - and hopefully finding - some of our wonderful summer butterflies. We could see Silver-washed Fritillary, White Admiral, Peacock, Red Admiral and more. Plus, there are dragonflies galore! Much conservation work has been done in this Forestry Commission Wood, using funding from Butterfly Conservation, over the last few years and the results are beginning to pay off.

Children are very welcome - in fact, children are actively encouraged to attend. Dogs tend to frighten the butterflies (and sometimes other visitors), but are welcome as long as they are kept on leads. We look forward to meeting you.